A 5 day Cleanse: By Janella Purcell
Detox, liver cleansing, fasting, green smoothie’s and wellbeing are words and phrases being thrown a lot these days. What I’m hearing though is that many people don’t know what they hell any of it means.
[private]Up until recently many natural health practitioners would have put their patients on a strict ‘detox’ and this usually meant pain. The technical term is a ‘healing crisis’. This meant your body was releasing toxins at a rapid rate, and man, did you feel that. Nausea, headaches, fatigue, irritability, gut pain, acne, anger are some of the commonly experienced symptoms. Let’s not forget that according to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), anger, resentment, frustration and a sense of being held back are the emotions stored in the liver, and the GB – the liver’s partner, stores indecision. So what you got from your detox’ was a whole lotta pain, and really, it’s unrealistic to expect someone who has a fairly acidic diet and lifestyle and therefore likely to be quite toxic -to stop coffee, alcohol, animal products, sugar, chemicals and gluten all at the same time – and did I mention potentially doing more harm than good?Those with an iron will, or seriously ill and desperate, could be put on this detox’ from anywhere from a week to months, and stick to it. But for the rest of us, I guess we’d last a few days and then a crash would hit, usually on day 3. Yes the dreaded ‘healing crisis’, and sometimes again on day 5. Most people do this whilst they carry on with their normal, daily lives. This is not a good idea.
If you’ve never done a cleanse or a more intense fast, then you need to go slowly at first, ease yourself into it. Because you know what usually happens after day 3? You binge, then the guilt kicks in, then the anger about how you did so well for 3 days then you let yourself down, and it was all for nothing; then self loathing follows and resignation that you’re hopeless and you’ll never get well, or loose weight, have clear skin, less pain, sleep better – or whatever was your intention when you started. Let’s try to avoid this horrible scenario.
So what’s the difference between a fast and a cleanse? Well a fast is literally just that – abstaining from food. And there are levels to this. When I do my annual 10 days in Bali, it’s a fast, and it’s pretty tough. I have a glass of coconut water in the early morning with some water with lemon juice, maybe a veggie juice at lunchtime, and a clear broth in the evening – that’s it. This is a hard-core fast – and not recommended for an inexperienced faster. This type of fast is much more than a physical experience, it’s also a mental exercise in discipline and allowing healing on a spiritual level. Yeah this is intense. And I love it. I am alone, on the ocean, with no contact with the outside world. It really is difficult to ignore your ‘baggage’ during these 10 days. It’s a perfect time to unpack that shit you’ve been carrying around too long, and throw it out to the ocean.
Dreams are lucid when you do a fast like this, and sleep is deep. At least it is for me. I have a lot of energy during these times and feel very inspired and clear, but I’m used to it. I am taking quite a lot of ‘supplements’ during the day like, psyllium husks, bentonite clay, spirulina (which is a complete food on its own) vitamin C and B, having my pH and blood pressure tested daily. For a more detailed explanation of this fast check out my Blog – ‘My Circuit Breaker’
There’s a current trend with the 5/2 diet to reduce calories 2 days a week, which is a good idea. It’s not really a ‘fast’ however – although it probably feels like it – but still, a good way to give your body a little break yet still carry on with your normal life. My concern is the feedback I get from some people who follow this diet, is that they tend to binge on the other 5 days. This defeats the purpose.
Why Cleanse
Basically to give your body a rest – not just your digestive tract, but all of you. It will help reduce candida overgrowth, treat IBS and other digestive issues, and skin problems, increase energy, deal with migraines, allergies, hormonal issues, parasites, insomnia, cholesterol and heart health in general. It’ll also help to reduce mild anxiety and depression, and so much more.
Spring is the perfect time to do this, as it’s the season when our liver is the most sensitive, so it’s ready and (the most willing) for a clean out!
Hippocates, the Father of modern medicine tells us that most disease begins in the gut – so let’s get this system working more efficiently.
The Basics
– Eat very slowly. Chew! Practice ‘Mindful Eating! Do nothing else whilst eating apart form eat. No reading, phone, computer, writing, running around – nothing. Sit at the table and chew each mouthful until it is almost liquid, then swallow.
– Leave 5 hours between meals. No snacking, (apart from the below broth).
– Make a vegie broth to sip on in between meals if you’re hungry. Either buy an organic stock cube, or make your own using organic veggies and water.
– Drink lots of clean water to help flush out the toxins, that will be on the move. Try for 2-3 litres of room temperature water a day. Alkaline water is preferable but other filtered waters are also good. Nothing in a plastic bottle of course.
– Mineral water is a good thing to have in the afternoon
– Have as much herbal tea as you like – turmeric, ginger, rooibos, dandelion root or leaf, green, lemongrass, or blends like a detox’, digestive and/or sleep, will also be helpful.
– Try to get a lot more sleep than usual. Go to bed early.
– No fruit if you’re very sensitive to fructose
– Avoid raw foods
– Your bowls will be moving a lot more than usual, and depending on what level cleanse you’re doing – they’re likely to be loose. If you still have to leave the house in the morning, then don’t do the Epsom salts.
– Do things that bring you joy, not cause you stress.
– If you’re doing level 2, then you should have all the nutrients you need in each ‘smooth’ meal – either the soup or the smoothie, whichever you prefer.
Extra things you can do to enhance detoxification
– Only use natural skin, body and hair care, including toothpaste. B=Naturally, it’s best not to re-tox’, whilst you are de-toxing’.
– Use natural cleaning products.
– Dry skin brushing. Get a soft bristled brush and gently brush it over your skin before you bathe. This will remove some of the dead skin cells preventing you from releasing toxins through your skin.
– Do a face mask 1-2 times during your cleanse/fast.
– If you can manage, a sauna or steam is fantastic. Sweating helps eliminate toxins.
– A lymphatic massage will be the best type of massage to have now.
– Salt baths or foot baths will help to remove the toxins that will now be trying to get out of your body. www.byronbayhalthysaltcomompany have a lovely range.
– It’s advisable to clear out your bowel before you embark on a detox, so either get a colonic from a skilled practitioner (check out on line and do our research well. Or get a referral from a friend). Or take 1 tsp Epsom salts in ½ glass of water for 3 days before you start.
What you need
– A micro green powder like Lifestream’s ‘Essential Greens’, spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass.
– Liver herbs are helpful, and again practtioner only but over the counter wile b ok also. Take alone or a formula of Dandelion root, schisandra, burdock.
– Vitamin C is a great detoxifier, so consider taking as a powder or tablet during this time. Take 2 grams 3 x a day, but work up to this. Start on half a gram 3 x a day and if you’re bowels are becoming loose then slowly increase to full dose. You can do this before you start the cleanse or fast.
– A broad- spectrum probiotic. Go to your health food store and try to get one that is ‘practitioner-only’. These are generally stronger. You’ll need to be building up the good bacteria whilst the bad guys are dying. ‘.
– Unrefined oil for the ‘morning ‘Oil Pulling’. You can use olive, flax, hemp, chia or sesame, either alone or in a combination. Optional – to 100 mls of oil add in one drop of tea tree oil for it’s anti-septic and ant-fungal properties.
– The organic veggies, protein and ‘superfoods’ you’ll need for the 5 days.
– Unrefined oils for you meals. Same as above for the ‘oil pulling’.
– Pysyllium huks
Morning ritual
1.Oil Pulling: Before you put anything in your mouth, out 1 tsp or the oil (above) in your mouth and swish it all around for about 5 minutes. It’s a bit weird at first but you’ll get used to it. This is to remove the toxic build up that accumulated in your mouth overnight. Your whole mouth will feel wonderful after.
2. Epsom salts: 1 tsp in half a glass of clean water. Do this only if you’re staying home, as this will help to clean out your bowels, so you’ll want to be near a toile you like and know.
3. Squeeze half a lemon in half a glass of warm water. You can use apple cider vinegar instead of the lemon juice if you like. Either will help to alkaline your system and the lemon will help get the liver going. Warm water stimulates digestion. You can also add some sliced or grated ginger if you like.
Mid morning, afternoon and before bed
Mix 1 tsp psyllium husks with 1 glass of clean water and drink. Do this 3 times a day. It’ll help keep you feeling full (kind of), your blood sugar stable and also clan out your bowels.
Here’s What You Do.
You have 2 choices. You can choose to keep eating 3 meals a day, yet eliminate the more acidic foods. So cut out red meat and chicken, dairy, grains and quinoa, coffee, booze and sugar. Keep in unrefined oils though, as these help with digestion. Like me, this is how some of you already eat so you may want to choose level 2.
The below recipes are just a guide, or stick to these only – it’s up to you. Many of my recipes will keep you within the guidelines above – just be sure to eat small portions, mindfully. Use my recipe books, my website or Google to find my recipes.
If you’re a vego’ or vegan, then instead of the seafood, include organic soy products, nuts, hemp or legumes/lentils as your protein, and vise versa. And use any nut or seed if you don’t like or haven’t got the one I have suggested.
Level 1
Breakfast
1.Smoothie
– A base of rice milk or coconut water
– 1 tsp each of hemp and chia seeds; flax meal or LSA; raw cacao powder; Essntial greens or whatever green powder your using; psyllium husks; ¼ avocado, ½ cup fruit like rockmelon, pear, berries, mango, paw pawand an organic date or honey if you want it sweeter and you’re not fructose intolerant
Optional – 1 tsp of maca powder or acai powder; a few mint leaves; 1 tbls aloe vera juice; 1 tsp any unrefined oil
OR
2. Tempeh, 2-3 slices pan-fried in coconut, olive, macadamia or avocado oil with ¼ medium sized avocado and one of my ‘Seed Crackers’ about the size of your palm. Sprinkle with chopped, fresh herbs.
Monday breakfast – organic chick pea #byronbaytempeh, home done sprouts, pickled beetroot and cabbage, neighbours avocado and Canadian #madeinhempseeds
Posted by Janella Purcell on Sunday, 24 August 2014
Seed Crackers – http://janellapurcell.com/2014/04/my-hemp-crackers-use-any-seeds-you-like-j/
OR
3. One egg omelette cooked in 1 tsp unrefined oil, with ½ cup sprouts, 1/3 cup coconut yogurt and 1 tsp each of hemp and chia seeds and/or LSA.
OR
4. Chocolate Chia Pudding. 1½ cup coconut milk, 2 tbsp chia seeds, 1 tbsp roasted almonds, 2 tsp hemp seeds, 1 tsp raw cacao, ½ cup fruit. Put in a jar with a lid and shake well for 30 seconds then leave in the fridge overnight. Sweeten if you want with organic honey, rice malt, maple syrup.
OR
5. My ‘Seed Crackers’ (one) with 1 tbsp macadamia butter, ‘Chocolate and Coconut Butter’, or Chia Jam. (All available from health food stores, or make your own with one of my recipes.)
Seed Crackers – http://janellapurcell.com/2014/04/my-hemp-crackers-use-any-seeds-you-like-j/
Lunch
1. Stir fry Vegies with fish, tempeh or tofu or cashews. 2-3 cups in total. Top with 1 tbsp hemp seeds. Use any unrefined oil, garlic, ginger, turmeric and herbs and/or spices to make.
OR
2. Legume salad with veggies, nuts and seeds. Use either steamed, stir-fried or baked veggies. 2-3 cups in total.
http://www.goodchefbadchef.com.au/recipes/424
OR
3. My ‘Seed Crackers’ (2) with 100g wild Alaskan salmon (tinned – Fish 4 Ever or John West), 1 tsp organic miso paste or mustard, handful of sprouts and 1 cup any cooked veg’ – up to you.
OR
4. Roasted Veggies with 100g protein and 2 tbsp pickled beetroot or another fermented veggie.
OR
5. Veggie Patties with mashed tofu, legumes or a nut meal – pan-fried or baked, served with sprouts and 2 tbsp sauerkraut.
'Lentil Patties' recipe below. Lentils are a great source of fibre, so will help to keep you full longer – helping with…
Posted by Janella Purcell on Thursday, 20 March 2014
Dinner
1. Lean Green Soup – www.janellapurcell.com/
OR
2. Steamed fish with shitake and broccolini. http://www.goodchefbadchef.com.au/recipes/345
(Leave out the rice)
OR
3. Miso soup with veggies
http://www.goodchefbadchef.com.au/recipes/377
OR
4. Fish or tofu skewers with a mash of sweet potato or potato. Use coconut, hemp or olive oil in the mash with a lime wedge
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/436145545132885425/
http://www.goodchefbadchef.com.au/recipes/426
OR
6. Spinach, Lentil and lemon Soup
Recipe for 'Spinach Lentil and Lemon Soup'. Have you made this? It's a keeper, and so good for your liver. http://janellapurcell.com/recipe/spinach-lentil-and-lemon-soup/ #janellapurcell
Posted by Janella Purcell on Thursday, 6 March 2014
Dessert
A piece of vegan raw dark chocolate like Loving earth or Panna
½ cup Chocolate and Avocado Mousse. Blend ½ avocado, ½ tbsp raw cacao powder and 1 tsp maple syrup or raw honey. This is only if you’re reallyyyyy want something sweet at night.
Level 2
Eat, or I should say drink as much as you like of these. Fill up a flask, either to keep cool or hot, and keep it by your desk or your body. Have some whenever you feel hungry in between meal times. Expect to feel a bit hungry for the first few days. You can alternate the days with soup or a smoothie, but I don’t. I like stick to one. Make the smoothie to last you a few days, and same goes for the soup – make enough for the week and freeze half.
Smoothie
– As for level 1 OR alternate days
Soup
– Place everything apart from the miso paste in a pot. Simmer for aout 20 minutes and then blitz until smooth. Add the miso paste at them end, if using. If not, then add some unrefined salt– not too much though. You don’t nd to take skin off or seeds out of veggies of you hive a high powdered blender, otherwise yes.
Pumpkin, carrot, potato, ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander or basil, water or veggie stock, miso paste, seaweed like dulse flakes, powdered nori or arame.
Post Cleanse Behaviour
– Don’t go crazy and overeat
– Keep as many of the good habits you’ve created throughout your cleanse
– Avoid grains and animal products in the same meal for a couple of weeks
– Coffee may bee need be eased back in
All the best for a happy cleanse. After the first detox’, which you’ll be very happy you’ve done, you’ll be looking forward to the next one. Which, btw, could happen at the beginning of each season.
In love and Wellbeing,
Janella[/private]